Masters’ Mindset

Today's focus is on our conditioning."Game day" Friday's.

--- Mobility Primer ---

Pec Minor Mash + Internal Rotation - 90 seconds each sideLay with your back on the floor, empty barbell parallel to your body. Place the collar of the bar right in between where your shoulder meets your pectoral muscle, and mash around for a bit seeking out tight areas. After some time here, perform "sleeper stretch" arm motions with the bar pinning the shoulder down. The back of the shoulder must stay on the ground the whole time.

Thoracic + Lat Foam Rolling - 90 seconds each sideWith arms extended overhead, lay with your upper back on the foam roller slowly moving from the base of your neck towards the middle of the back. Following, turn to one side and focus on your lats, performing sweeping motions with an extended arm - as if you are sweeping the floor with your knuckles.

Banded Shoulder Distraction - 90s each sideRelax your shoulder into this stretch and lengthen out the lats.

Samson Stretch - 45 seconds on each legThree focus points on this stretch - Hips, shoulders, and forearms/wristsStep out deep with one leg. Shin bone should be vertical in your lunge, and let your back knee touch the ground. With your fingers interlaced, extend your arms overhead, palms to the ceiling. As you do so, imagine driving your waist forward, as if you had a band around your waist pulling you forward. Aim to feel a stretch in that rear leg hip flexor, a stretch in the shoulders, and a stretch in your forearms/wrists..

Click for Ages 40-44, 45-49, 50-54

--- 2016 Games Masters ---

1) Conditioning

Pacing is a skill. A skill we can hone, train, and master at our own individual level.

This is a workout today that will test your ability to pace. To accomplish your best score, it will especially take very diligent pacing in the first few rounds.

This is a workout that is relatively easy - call it tempting - to "blow up". You have the ability to charge through that first round, potentially unbroken at each movement. Minutes 5-9 is however where that athlete would crash and burn, ultimately resulting in score far below their potential.

Consistency in each round is what we are aiming for here. For your first round to be the same completion time as your second to last, and everything in between.

Let that first round be your slowest. 5's from the beginning is an entirely viable strategy, with the one exception for pushing for straight sets on the OHS. Use the clock in this workout, and see where you are after that first "buy-in" round. The goal is, through approximation, stay beneath that round time by a couple of seconds. At the 7 minute mark, try your best to move 1% faster. It is at this point where we want to start to turn it on. Very commonly, we wait too long - until the 9th minute, to make that push. We want to start that earlier, but to a slightly lesser degree of intensity. At that 9th minute mark - find out whatever is left. Let today be a day that you surprise yourself. You'll look back at this one.

2) Bike Conditioning

5 x 1 Mile BikeRest 3:00 between rounds

3) Midline + Shoulder Recovery

3 Rounds, Not For Time:20 Weighted Situps, 30 Band Pull-Aparts

On the weighted sit-ups, use a dumbbell or plate across your chest. Athlete's choice on weight, but let it be challenging to get 20 in a row. Anchoring your feet is allowed.

On the band pull-parts, use a medium band that allows for at least 20 of the following reps unbroken: stand with your hands inside the band, arms extended at shoulder level in front of you. Imagine "pulling the band apart" by opening up your arms to the sides. You'll feel this in the rear portion of your shoulders, and this is a great way to rehab/prehab your rotator cuff and surrounding muscles. Mid-line must be rigid all the way through.

--- 2017 Qualifier/Open Athletes ---

Pacing is a skill. A skill we can hone, train, and master at our own individual level.

This is a workout today that will test your ability to pace. To accomplish your best score, it will especially take very diligent pacing in the first few rounds.

This is a workout that is relatively easy - call it tempting - to "blow up". You have the ability to charge through that first round, potentially unbroken at each movement. Minutes 5-9 is however where that athlete would crash and burn, ultimately resulting in score far below their potential.

Consistency in each round is what we are aiming for here. For your first round to be the same completion time as your second to last, and everything in between.

Let that first round be your slowest. 5's from the beginning is an entirely viable strategy, with the one exception for pushing for straight sets on the OHS. Use the clock in this workout, and see where you are after that first "buy-in" round. The goal is, through approximation, stay beneath that round time by a couple of seconds. At the 7 minute mark, try your best to move 1% faster. It is at this point where we want to start to turn it on. Very commonly, we wait too long - until the 9th minute, to make that push. We want to start that earlier, but to a slightly lesser degree of intensity. At that 9th minute mark - find out whatever is left. Let today be a day that you surprise yourself. You'll look back at this one.

If you do not have a 2K pace - use those terms for exactly what they mean. Fast, Medium, and Slow pace. Aim for consistency throughout.

As CrossFit athletes, it can be very easy to fall into a default "row speed" once the workout begins. Interval training will allow us to train our bodies to operate at a faster speed, earning us the capacity to row faster during our workouts.

Click for Ages 55-59

--- 2016 Games Masters ---

1) Conditioning

Pacing is a skill. A skill we can hone, train, and master at our own individual level.

This is a workout today that will test your ability to pace. To accomplish your best score, it will especially take very diligent pacing in the first few rounds.

This is a workout that is relatively easy - call it tempting - to "blow up". You have the ability to charge through that first round, potentially unbroken at each movement. Minutes 5-9 is however where that athlete would crash and burn, ultimately resulting in score far below their potential.

Consistency in each round is what we are aiming for here. For your first round to be the same completion time as your second to last, and everything in between.

Let that first round be your slowest. 5's from the beginning is an entirely viable strategy, with the one exception for pushing for straight sets on the OHS. Use the clock in this workout, and see where you are after that first "buy-in" round. The goal is, through approximation, stay beneath that round time by a couple of seconds. At the 7 minute mark, try your best to move 1% faster. It is at this point where we want to start to turn it on. Very commonly, we wait too long - until the 9th minute, to make that push. We want to start that earlier, but to a slightly lesser degree of intensity. At that 9th minute mark - find out whatever is left. Let today be a day that you surprise yourself. You'll look back at this one.

2) Bike Conditioning

5 x 1 Mile BikeRest 3:00 between rounds

3) Midline + Shoulder Recovery

3 Rounds, Not For Time:20 Weighted Situps, 30 Band Pull-Aparts

On the weighted sit-ups, use a dumbbell or plate across your chest. Athlete's choice on weight, but let it be challenging to get 20 in a row. Anchoring your feet is allowed.

On the band pull-parts, use a medium band that allows for at least 20 of the following reps unbroken: stand with your hands inside the band, arms extended at shoulder level in front of you. Imagine "pulling the band apart" by opening up your arms to the sides. You'll feel this in the rear portion of your shoulders, and this is a great way to rehab/prehab your rotator cuff and surrounding muscles. Mid-line must be rigid all the way through.

--- 2017 Qualifier/Open Athletes ---

Pacing is a skill. A skill we can hone, train, and master at our own individual level.

This is a workout today that will test your ability to pace. To accomplish your best score, it will especially take very diligent pacing in the first few rounds.

This is a workout that is relatively easy - call it tempting - to "blow up". You have the ability to charge through that first round, potentially unbroken at each movement. Minutes 5-9 is however where that athlete would crash and burn, ultimately resulting in score far below their potential.

Consistency in each round is what we are aiming for here. For your first round to be the same completion time as your second to last, and everything in between.

Let that first round be your slowest. 5's from the beginning is an entirely viable strategy, with the one exception for pushing for straight sets on the OHS. Use the clock in this workout, and see where you are after that first "buy-in" round. The goal is, through approximation, stay beneath that round time by a couple of seconds. At the 7 minute mark, try your best to move 1% faster. It is at this point where we want to start to turn it on. Very commonly, we wait too long - until the 9th minute, to make that push. We want to start that earlier, but to a slightly lesser degree of intensity. At that 9th minute mark - find out whatever is left. Let today be a day that you surprise yourself. You'll look back at this one.

If you do not have a 2K pace - use those terms for exactly what they mean. Fast, Medium, and Slow pace. Aim for consistency throughout.

As CrossFit athletes, it can be very easy to fall into a default "row speed" once the workout begins. Interval training will allow us to train our bodies to operate at a faster speed, earning us the capacity to row faster during our workouts.

Click for Ages 60+

--- 2016 Games Masters ---

1) Conditioning

Pacing is a skill. A skill we can hone, train, and master at our own individual level.

This is a workout today that will test your ability to pace. To accomplish your best score, it will especially take very diligent pacing in the first few rounds.

This is a workout that is relatively easy - call it tempting - to "blow up". You have the ability to charge through that first round, potentially unbroken at each movement. Minutes 5-9 is however where that athlete would crash and burn, ultimately resulting in score far below their potential.

Consistency in each round is what we are aiming for here. For your first round to be the same completion time as your second to last, and everything in between.

Let that first round be your slowest. 5's from the beginning is an entirely viable strategy, with the one exception for pushing for straight sets on the OHS. Use the clock in this workout, and see where you are after that first "buy-in" round. The goal is, through approximation, stay beneath that round time by a couple of seconds. At the 7 minute mark, try your best to move 1% faster. It is at this point where we want to start to turn it on. Very commonly, we wait too long - until the 9th minute, to make that push. We want to start that earlier, but to a slightly lesser degree of intensity. At that 9th minute mark - find out whatever is left. Let today be a day that you surprise yourself. You'll look back at this one.

2) Bike Conditioning

5 x 1 Mile BikeRest 3:00 between rounds

3) Midline + Shoulder Recovery

3 Rounds, Not For Time:20 Weighted Situps, 30 Band Pull-Aparts

On the weighted sit-ups, use a dumbbell or plate across your chest. Athlete's choice on weight, but let it be challenging to get 20 in a row. Anchoring your feet is allowed.

On the band pull-parts, use a medium band that allows for at least 20 of the following reps unbroken: stand with your hands inside the band, arms extended at shoulder level in front of you. Imagine "pulling the band apart" by opening up your arms to the sides. You'll feel this in the rear portion of your shoulders, and this is a great way to rehab/prehab your rotator cuff and surrounding muscles. Mid-line must be rigid all the way through.

--- 2017 Qualifier/Open Athletes ---

Pacing is a skill. A skill we can hone, train, and master at our own individual level.

This is a workout today that will test your ability to pace. To accomplish your best score, it will especially take very diligent pacing in the first few rounds.

This is a workout that is relatively easy - call it tempting - to "blow up". You have the ability to charge through that first round, potentially unbroken at each movement. Minutes 5-9 is however where that athlete would crash and burn, ultimately resulting in score far below their potential.

Consistency in each round is what we are aiming for here. For your first round to be the same completion time as your second to last, and everything in between.

Let that first round be your slowest. 5's from the beginning is an entirely viable strategy, with the one exception for pushing for straight sets on the OHS. Use the clock in this workout, and see where you are after that first "buy-in" round. The goal is, through approximation, stay beneath that round time by a couple of seconds. At the 7 minute mark, try your best to move 1% faster. It is at this point where we want to start to turn it on. Very commonly, we wait too long - until the 9th minute, to make that push. We want to start that earlier, but to a slightly lesser degree of intensity. At that 9th minute mark - find out whatever is left. Let today be a day that you surprise yourself. You'll look back at this one.

If you do not have a 2K pace - use those terms for exactly what they mean. Fast, Medium, and Slow pace. Aim for consistency throughout.

As CrossFit athletes, it can be very easy to fall into a default "row speed" once the workout begins. Interval training will allow us to train our bodies to operate at a faster speed, earning us the capacity to row faster during our workouts.